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Curtis Brown's debut slate includes 'Equal Music' adaptation

LONDON — Brit lit agency Curtis Brown has created its own film development arm, Cuba Pictures, to kickstart projects for its clients.

Debut slate includes an adaptation of Vikram Seth’s Indian saga “An Equal Music,” being written by Andrea Gibb (“Dear Frankie”). The novel was previously in development at Paramount.

According to Curtis Brown’s Nick Marston, Cuba Pictures will help scribe clients maintain more control over the initial stages of development. The unit typically will develop first drafts before taking projects out to other financiers.

Ben Hopkins, writer-director of “The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz,” is penning an English version of Elbert van Strien’s Dutch horror short “World of Puppets.”

Cuba also is attaching a writer to adapt Michael de Larrabeiti’strilogy of cult children’s novels “The Borribles,” which is repped by Curtis Brown.

Debbie Isitt is adapting Jenny Colgan’s chick-lit novel “16 Again.” Conor McPherson (“The Actors”) is working on an untitled original screenplay for FilmFour.

Enda Walsh (“Disco Pigs”) is adapting Eva Ibbotson’s novel “Island of the Aunts.” Ben Brown is writing an original script about George Bernard Shaw’s affair with American actress Molly Tompkins.